Greg Monroe could be Celtics target after Suns buy out his contract

Suddenly, the Celtics have options, and an intriguing one came on the market Wednesday night — Greg Monroe.

The former Bucks big man was bought out by the Suns, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, and Boston is considered a favorite to land him.

Because the Celtics still have the $8.4 million disabled player exception they received following Gordon Hayward’s season-ending broken ankle, they can pay Monroe more than anyone. He’s averaging 10.4 points and 7.4 rebounds this year between Milwaukee and Phoenix.

At 6-foot-11, 265 pounds, he’d help the undersized C’s in matchups against teams like the Pistons, who have overwhelmed the Celtics with bulk. He is also experienced on the second unit, coming off the bench for all 81 games that he played last season.

That said, he’s not a perfect fit, since he doesn’t stretch the floor and he’s considered a mediocre defender. He has attempted 12 3-pointers in his career and made none of them. The Bucks had buried him on the bench before shipping him to Phoenix to match salaries in a trade for guard Eric Bledsoe.

Monroe has provided hope to Celtics fans before. Three years ago, he signed a three-year, $51 million contract with the Bucks in free agency. If Milwaukee could bag a big-money player, the reasoning went, why couldn’t Boston?

A year later, the C’s landed Al Horford, and a year after that, they signed Hayward.

Now they’re trying to reinforce a squad with legitimate finals aspirations. According to a report from RealGM’s Keith Smith, Boston’s dream scenario would be trading for Memphis swingman Tyreke Evans, who’d provide bench scoring, and then using the DPE to sign Monroe. This would allow the Celtics to fill two needs on their second unit.

Monroe has 48 hours to clear waivers, which is considered a formality, before becoming an unrestricted free agent.

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